George A. Kennedy

George A. Kennedy is a renowned scholar and professor in Classics and Rhetoric at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He served as Chair of the Department of Classics from 1966 to 1976 and later as Chair of the Faculty Council (1985–1988). His academic journey began with a PhD in Classics from Harvard University (1954), followed by a Guggenheim Fellowship (1964) and the Tanner Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. Kennedy’s work focuses on Graeco-Roman rhetoric, expanding into comparative literature and modern French studies post-retirement.

He earned the Goodwin Award (1975) for The Art of Rhetoric in the Roman World and the Thomas Jefferson Award (1983) for exemplifying UNC’s Jeffersonian ideals. His leadership roles include editing the American Journal of Philology (1989–1996) and serving on the National Humanities Council under President Carter. Kennedy is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a member of the American Philosophical Society.

As a mentor, Kennedy supervised 16 MA theses and 24 PhD dissertations, notably guiding scholars like Ian McDonald, Cecil Wooten, and Sheila Murnaghan. His research and publications, including Classical Rhetoric and its Christian and Secular Tradition and Comparative Rhetoric, explore rhetoric across cultures and historical periods. He continues scholarly work in modern literature despite retiring in 1995.